OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University women's basketball junior guard
Taylor Gordon was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) second team as selected by the league's coaches and announced by the conference office Monday morning.
UVU junior center
Sam Lubcke also received all-conference accolades, as she was selected to the WAC All-Newcomer Team.
Gordon's selection marks the third straight season a Wolverine takes home All-WAC honors, joining UVU's 2015-16 first-team pick
Sam Loggins and second-team choice
Mariah Seals, and 2014-15 All-WAC second team member
Rhaiah Spooner-Knight. Meanwhile, Lubcke becomes Utah Valley's fourth player on the All-Newcomer Team along with Seals' selection in 2014-15 and former Wolverines Katie Kuklok and Spooner-Knight, who received the honor in UVU's inaugural season in the conference.
A 5-8 guard from Mount Pleasant, Utah, Gordon enjoyed a breakout junior campaign in her first full season as a starter, finishing fifth in the WAC in scoring with a career-high 14.0 points per game behind a team-best 22 double-digit scoring efforts and six 20-point outings. On the defensive end, Gordon disrupted opposing offenses to set a new program record for steals with a WAC-leading 75 steals entering the postseason.
In addition, Gordon was second among all guards in the league with 177 rebounds and 6.1 boards per contest during the regular season, which helped her notch four double-doubles in her third season donning a Wolverine uniform.
Lubcke, a native of Murray Bridge, Australia, proved to be one of the WAC's most dominant low-post forces in her first year at the Division I level as the conference's leader with 8.6 rebounds per contest, 4.0 offensive boards per game and eight double-doubles on the year. A junior transfer from College of Southern Idaho, Lubcke also finished second in the league in field goal percentage (.576, 114-of-198) and 11th in scoring with 12.1 points per game.
In 10 WAC contests, Lubcke averaged 13.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. She closed the season with a double-double in each of her last four personal outings, in spite of missing four of UVU's past five contests due to injury.
Gordon and Lubcke will guide No. 6 seed Utah Valley into the opening round of the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, against No. 3 seed CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday, March 8, at the Orleans Arena. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. PT start with the Wolverines seeking revenge after dropping the season series to the Roadrunners, including a 63-59 overtime defeat inside Lockhart Arena.
2016-17 All-WAC Teams
First Team All-WAC
Moriah Mack, NM State G 5-8 Sr. San Antonio, Texas (Reagan HS)
Alexis Montgomery, Seattle U G/F 5-10 R-Jr. Beaverton, Ore. (Beaverton HS)
Shawnte' Goff, UT Rio Grande Valley G 5-8 Sr. Copperas Cove, Texas (Copperas Cove HS)
Brooke Salas, NM State G 5-10 So. Placentia, Calif. (El Dorado HS)
Marina Laramie, Grand Canyon F/C 6-2 R-Sr. St. Louis, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt West HS)
Second Team All-WAC
Brie Mobley, Grand Canyon, G, 5-9, Jr., Winter Haven, Fla. (Winter Haven HS)
Taylor Gordon, Utah Valley, G, 5-8, Jr., Mount Pleasant, Utah (North Sanpete HS)
Kaylee Best, Seattle U ,G/F, 5-8, Sr., Seattle, Wash. (Lakeside School)
Tamera William, NM State, G, 5-9, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev. (Centennial HS)
Jazmyne Bartee, CSU Bakersfield, C, 6-2, R-Jr., Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler HS)
All-Defensive Team
Jazmyne Bartee, CSU Bakersfield, C, 6-2, R-Jr., Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler HS)
Moriah Mack, NM State, G, 5-8, Sr., San Antonio, Texas (Reagan HS)
Alexis Montgomery, Seattle U, G/F, 5-10, R-Jr., Beaverton, Ore. (Beaverton HS)
Tamera William, NM State, G, 5-9, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev. (Centennial HS)
Shawnte' Goff, UT Rio Grande Valley, G, 5-8, Sr., Copperas Cove, Texas (Copperas Cove HS)
All-Newcomer Team
Brie Mobley, Grand Canyon, G, 5-9, Jr., Winter Haven, Fla. (UNC Wilmington)
Marina Laramie, Grand Canyon, F/C, 6-2, R-Sr., St. Louis, Mo. (East Carolina)
Aja Williams, CSU Bakersfield, F, 5-10, Jr., Jackson, Miss. (Holmes CC)
Jazmyne Bartee, CSU Bakersfield, C, 6-2, R-Jr., Chandler, Ariz. (UNLV)
Sam Lubcke, Utah Valley, C, 6-1, Jr., Murray Bridge, Australia (Col. of So. Idaho)
Player of the Year: Moriah Mack, NM State
Freshman of the Year: Kamira Sanders, Seattle
Coach of the Year: Mark Trakh, NM State
